Two Ends of a Thread
by Nuzo
Summary: Time travel fic! HGTR Hermione is starting her sixth year a Hogwarts. During her first Care of Magical Creatures class, she gets to swim with the mermaids. What happens when one of them wants to show her something?
1. Curious and Fearful

I do not own the Harry Potter books and/or movies, or anything associated with them.

SNOWSNOWSNOWJUSTALITTLEBITOFSNOW

Hermione Granger looked down into the depths of the Hogwarts lake and shivered. In twenty hours she would be swimming with the mermaids and observing their daily lifestyle. Of course, it had been Hagrid's idea. Despite the mermaids being evil and having a hobby of luring students into traps, he thought they were beautiful and harmless.

Hermione hadn't been very nervous when she first read the news in a letter. She had thought that Hagrid was only considering this and had yet to ask Dumbledore, but the very next day she had discovered the truth.

She was going to swim with the _cute _little mermaids.

Grumbling under her breath, the witch began to make her way back to the castle. If she were to die the next day, she wanted to at least spend a bit of time with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, her very best friends.

It was Hermione's first day of her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she was proud to say that she was one of the Gryffindor prefects. After an extremely long and boring summer at home, she was happy to be back, even if she had to risk her life nearly every week.

Not only in classes was there a big chance of injury, but when you were friends with Harry Potter, something was bound to happen.

Opening the door to the school, Hermione slipped in and climbed up a flight of steps. She tried to ignore the crowds of people that stared her way, but found it very disturbing.

For some unknown reason, everyone had been sneaking glances her way all day. She hadn't thought much of it at first, but when Draco Malfoy had smiled at her – in a very normal way – she knew there was something wrong.

Malfoy had always been the Golden Trio's (Hermione, Harry and Ron) enemy. He was a nauseating fellow indeed. The Slytherin always had one way or another to get the three of them in trouble or just humiliate them in front of the entire school. A loss of a few points was nothing to him if the Golden Trio was miserable.

"Tittlewhittle."

The portrait of the fat lady swung open to reveal a nearly empty common room. As unusual as this normally was on the first day of school, there was a very good reason for it today. Fred and George Weasley had come for a visit to Hogwarts, and were going to set up a mini joke stand in one of the abandoned corridors for a while.

"Hey." Hermione said as she walked over to Harry and Ron, "Why aren't you two visiting Fred and George?"

"We couldn't get to them." Ron said miserably, "The whole corridor's crowded. We couldn't even _see_ the two of them."

Harry shifted in his chair.

"What are you up to, 'Mione?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm completely bored. It's only the first day and there's absolutely nothing to do!"

The other two exchanged a nervous look, as if considering something.

"Well…" Ron began, "We've got something you might be interested in…I mean if you're _really_ bored…"

"Yeah," Harry said, "But…er…"

"We received a letter from Hagrid!" Ron blurted out.

The other boy gave him a look of feigned annoyance and had no choice to continue.

"Hagrid wants us to collect a few pixies for him. He's not supposed to use magic and all, and even though he could, half of his wand won't be good enough to catch a bundle of those little guys. We were wondering if you wanted to help."

Hermione gave them a weird look. Why were they so nervous about catching a few pixies?

"Is there something you two are hiding about this?"

"Well…"

"They're in the Forbidden Forest!" Ron blurted out again, interrupting Harry.

That was it? What was so bad about that? Hermione was seriously stating to wonder if there was something wrong with the two of them. They were being so skittish around her. The entire school was acting differently.

"Does Dumbledore know about this?" she asked.

"Yes." Harry answered with a puzzled look.

"Then what's the problem?"

Immediately, Harry jumped up and felt her forehead.

"Are you all right? You don't seem to have a fever."

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"You've really been acting strange lately…"

"_Me_?" Hermione questioned with a look of disbelief, "I think it's everyone _else_ that hasn't been being themselves! I haven't done anything all day!"

"Exactly." Said Harry.

"You've usually got a book stuffed in your face at this time." Ron looked up at the clock.

"Do I?" Hermione smiled lightly, "Huh. I suppose I would have. I guess I've just changed a little over the summer…or maybe I've just read all of the books in the library…"

The witch strode over to the portrait and glanced back at them.

"Well, I'm going to go see Hagrid." She said, "I talked to him earlier and he was speaking of mermaids, not pixies. Maybe I just heard him wrong."

ICANTSEETHESNOWOHIWANNASEETHESNOW

"I needs the pixies fer the lower grades." Explained Hagrid when they had reached his hut, "Ther a li'l bi' easier ter show 'em. I can' 'ave the li'l ones swimmin' in the lake on ther own, now can I?"

Hermione nodded and said, "No, I suppose you can't. When are we going to gather the pixies, then?"

Hagrid took a sip of his tea, "Righ' now. I'm jus' goin' ter finish mi tea, then we'll all go in tergether."

"I'm going to wait by the Forest, then. I'll see if I can spot any pixy nests from the edge."

Everyone nodded, and Hermione made her way outside.

It was an awfully nice day outside, she thought as she peered into the shadows of the trees. The birds were singing, the pumpkins were already starting to glow orange again, and there was not a cloud in the sky…

"Hello, Granger." Oh! Maybe it wasn't that nice a day after all.

"Hello, Malfoy." She replied, hoping that if she just continued to look into the Forest, that maybe he'd go away.

"What is such a pretty little witch like you do so close to the Forest. You could get hurt, you know."

Hermione sighed. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? It was hard enough finding pixies _without_ a distraction…

"What do you _want_?" she huffed, turning around.

The witch nearly tumbled backwards. Malfoy was only about an inch away. She went cross-eyed for a moment, then fell.

The boy in front of her reached out an arm and caught her around her slim waist. Surprised by his sudden spurt of thoughtfulness, but still preferring to have hit the ground, she jerked out of his grip hastily.

"Thank you." She said, "but I'm still curious as to why you'd be _here_."

Malfoy crossed his arms and replied casually, "Well, I happen to be taking Care of Magical Creatures this year, as father wants me to be able to deal with vicious, dark creatures. I thought I might be able to maybe find out a few things about our first class by coming down here and eavesdropping. But, I couldn't fail to notice you peering into the Forest."

After a while he added, "Have I mentioned that you've turned awfully attractive over the holidays?"

Hermione had not been expecting that last comment, but decided not to let it get to her head. Draco Malfoy considered himself attractive, after all. Well…many of the girls would agree, but…the point was it didn't matter!

"Eavesdropping, you say? You know, you could have just asked Hagrid."

"Oh, come on." Malfoy scowled, "You know that none of you would tell me –"

"Mermaids." Hermione said firmly, "We will be studying the daily habits of mermaids."

Obviously dumbfounded that she would help him out, the wizard thanked her and slowly walked away, taking short steps and occasionally looking back.

The door to Hagrid's hut flew open and Harry, Ron and Hagrid walked out.

"'Ave ye spotted any pixies, 'Mione?" Hagrid asked jollily.

"No" she sighed, "I had a little run in with Malfoy. He's been acting weirdly lately."

Ron and Harry jumped a little and suddenly looked concerned.

"Did he hurt you?" Harry asked urgently, as Ron checked her over for injuries.

"No." Hermione said again, "And come to think of it, you've both been acting slightly strange, too. Is there anything the matter?"

"Nope." They both replied in an unconvincing way, but she pushed it aside.

If there were anything wrong, they'd tell her eventually.

"Alrigh' then. Let's ge' started."

Nodding in agreement, the Golden Trio followed Hagrid down a little path.

It was very dark in the Forest. The tall, bushy trees were blocking nearly all of the sunlight, creating a sleepy, mystical effect. There was a light haze just off of the ground, also, and it was almost _too_ quiet. Hermione kept her hand close to her wand. She wanted to be ready, just in case.

SNOWSNOWJUSTALITTLEBITOFSNOW

Nearly an hour had passed and still there had been no sign of anything even slightly resembling a pixy. Maybe Voldemort had started to get a little desperate and recruited the entire Forest. Oh! But she shouldn't think about him in a joking matter. Harry would have her head, and the Dark Lord wasn't something to laugh about. It was just…it helped…one thought of him in a serious way was enough to make her feel faintish. He was just so…so…unfeeling, selfish, violent, cruel…and…

Did he know this? Did he see himself as he truly was? Did he even _care_? Or had all his thoughts and feelings been separated from him with each book of dark magic that he read?

Hermione felt her stomach lurch, and her vision blurred a little.

And yet she couldn't stop thinking about him.

How could someone kill like that? How could someone look straight into the eyes of an innocent human being that was exactly like himself, and destroy every trace of life within them?

Oh _right_! He couldn't do that! There _was_ no innocent human being exactly like Lord Voldemort!

But, still! _HOW COULD SOMEONE KILL IN COLD BLOOD, WITHOUT A HINT OF REGRET? _It wasn't right…no, no…it wasn't right at all…

! Hermione's face slammed against the muddy ground, her hands not being fast enough to catch her in time. Looking back, she realized that she had tripped on a tree root. Her stomach jolted threateningly, and the witch let out a small breath of air.

But he wouldn't leave her mind.

It was sick…so sick. How? How how how how _how_? You'd think he'd have died with the guilt, but no…he couldn't _feel _guilt_. It was **disgusting**_!

"'Mione, are ye all righ'?" she heard Hagrid ask, as he helped her up.

"Yeah." She choked, and found that she wouldn't be able to say anything else without throwing up. The pixies…they weren't going to find any today…

"I think we should go back, Hagrid. I don't think we're going to find any pixies today." Wow, Ron stole the words right out of her mind.

"All righ'. 'Mione, ye should ge' some res' when ye ge' back."

Unable to say anything, she nodded, straightening herself up as best as she could and walking the opposite way they had previously been.

IWANNASEETHESNOWOHIWANNASEETHESNOW

The trees, shrubs and stones had all blurred by in an instant and Hermione soon found herself being the focus of many curious stares. She stood in the Entrance Hall, and must have looked an awful mess, what with falling in the dirt and nearly throwing up.

She felt a hand on her back leading her up a few familiar steps, and soon she was being pushed towards the girls' dormitory.

"Go get some sleep, 'Mione." Harry whispered in her ear, "You seem a little out of it today. Tomorrow will be a lot better."

She nodded, and forced herself up the stairs, into her pyjamas, and under the plush comforters of her four-poster bed.

Tomorrow…yes, tomorrow would be so much better. She'd get to swim with the mermaids, and watch how they lived.

Hermione let out a hollow laugh.

Lord Voldemort has ruined so many lives, she thought. He made so many people see the creatures pulling the carriages. Hermione didn't like those things.

If she could only find that man…if she could find Lord Voldemort and have a few moments with just the two of them…

Then she'd teach him what pain really was.

SNOWSNOWIWANNASEETHESNOW

BUTICANTLEAVETHEFIREBURNING

XXX7XXX

Did you like the beginning? It will get a lot better, don't you worry! Hope you liked it!


	2. Pink Corral

I do not own the Harry Potter books and/or movies, or anything to it, except for this story and others I have written and will most definitely write in the future. (Like the one I'm going to write about Salazar Slytherin!)

Hope you enjoy!

SILVERISTHEPENDANT

Hermione took in a deep breath and stared once again into the murky waters of the Hogwarts Lake, not really listening to what Hagrid had to say. The fear she had felt the previous day while standing there was nothing compared to what she felt at that moment. After all, she might not come out alive.

What had been a simply a fact two years before when Harry went in, was now something much more complex. It no longer applied to someone _else_, but herself.

But she was going to try to keep thinking about the comforting little reminder in the back of her head: _She was a witch._

Besides, the class had been assured that the Headmaster was watching them through an enchanted mirror every moment they were down there. Professor Dumbledore was one of the few people that she would trust with her life. Nothing at all could go wrong with him watching. No one could touch a hair on her head…

Trying to ignore the small voice in her head that was currently protesting, Hermione wrapped her soft curls up into a bun with a flick of her wand.

"All righ'." Hagrid continued, not hiding the fact that he was extremely excited about hearing all about the mermaids when they got back, "I've told ye' as much as I could tell ye'. The on'y other thin' I have ter tell say is…well, be careful. I don' wan' any of ye' gettin' any injuries down there."

Hermione forced a smile up at him and tried to ignore the feeling that was telling her to run. She was a witch, and witches could do magic…they could shoo things away, and if those things didn't listen, then…

They could hurt them… 

Oh, Merlin! Not now! There was no worse time that Hermione could have thought of to ponder over the act of the Dark Lord. If she was going to do this, she needed all of the courage she had. Lord Voldemort wasn't going to be hiding in a dirty old lake, now was he?

"Dip in when yer ready." Came the Hagrid's voice again.

Hermione straightened her robes (light and waterproof, given to all the students in the sixth and seventh Care of Magical Creatures classes), and forced herself into the water. She wasn't going to think twice about this, and there was no turning back.

She inhaled the gillyweed quickly, waiting until she was fully transformed to concentrate on what she was doing. Hermione was a witch, and _she could hur – _she could use magic.

The water was surprisingly cold for the second day of September, and her surroundings were darker than she thought they would be. If it weren't for the sun radiating a dim light through the surface of the lake, or the lights of the mermaids' dwellings far below, the witch was sure that she wouldn't have been able to see any further than two inches in front of her.

If the lights were even from the mermaids.

But they probably were, she knew, and so began to swim towards them, not quite ignoring the fear swelling in the pit of her stomach. There were more than just mermaids in the lake, and she wasn't about to forget.

The seaweed and kelp twisted around the witch's arms and legs, bending as far as they could, and holding on until the last minute. She didn't find this comforting in the least. In fact, she found it frightening. But she was getting nearer to the lights, and soon she'd be watching the mermaids in their daily lifestyles.

And Dumbledore was watching. Thank Merlin, he was watching.

Hermione swam as fast as she could towards her destination, and, parting a bit of seaweed, she came face to face with the city at the bottom of the lake. For a moment she was blinded with the swirling of sudden colours, but when the fog in her brain cleared, she met a beautiful sight.

Everywhere, mermaids and mermen were carrying on in their day-to-day business. Only the children spared the students a glance as they went from one place to another, and only the most mischievous had stopped to stare. Or touch, Hermione noted as she saw a child hanging off of one of the other's leg.

Looking back towards the city, she realized quite suddenly that it wasn't fire that lit the waters (she didn't know how she had even suspected this when she had pondered it in the morning), but everything except the merpeople themselves. Blue light glowed on and off from every single thing, regardless of their colour. The giant pink seashells that seemed to be the buildings even sparkled when they weren't too bright, only adding to the affect.

After about ten minutes of ogling at the place, Hermione suddenly remembered why she had gone to the bottom of the lake in the first place. She was there to study the lifestyle of these underwater creatures as precisely as she could. She wasn't completely new from the girl she had been last year. No, she wanted the highest marks she could possibly get.

She figured the best way to do this would be to follow a different merperson around each day. Today she was going to start with a mermaid.

Turning her head this way and that, Hermione tried to spot out a good candidate…preferably one on the less vicious side. She wasn't going to risk any more of her life than she had to. Maybe one that looked like her would be good. Brown hair, chocolate eyes…preferably weak-looking. If the mermaid caught on to her plan, then Hermione wanted to win the fight.

Something out of the corner of her eye suddenly drew her attention. It was a mermaid, and she was looking straight at the witch. The mermaid had purple hair, and from Hermione's view her eyes looked crystal blue. She had a cream coloured seashell in her hair, and her skin seemed to almost be glowing.

Hermione tried to draw her attention away. That mermaid didn't seem right to follow. She looked weak, yes, but had a mischievous aura around her. For some unknown reason, though, the witch found herself swimming towards her.

The mermaid caught sight of the stranger headed her way, and began to swim slowly away, looking back ever so often. Hermione continued to follow, knowing that there would be no harm in following her so long as she didn't stray too far from the city. Dumbledore was watching after all, and she was a witch…

Without a warning, the mermaid suddenly stopped, glancing over to her left. There wasn't much to see, though, the witch noted. Oh! There _was_ a pink ring of corral, but it didn't seem to stand out much. The mermaid seemed to think it was significant, though, as she quickly swam straight towards it when it had entered her line of vision. In fact, she went right through the centre, signalling for Hermione to do the same.

Hermione followed, but did not go through the corral. She didn't want to fall into some kind of trap, after all, and she didn't want to look like she'd do anything.

But the mermaid wouldn't let up. She swam in and out of the ring, looping in circles and glancing over at the stubborn witch. Hermione thought it ridiculous, and turned to leave, but the mermaid seemed to be very anxious to get her through.

Finally, she relented. After all, what harm could become of her? Dumbledore was watching, and she was a witch.

Flicking her feet cautiously, the witch made her way through the ring. Nothing touched her, and not one suspicious thing happened. When her entire body was through, the mermaid had turned to look at her. It looked giddy and sly, which made an uneasy feeling settle into Hermione's stomach.

What was she going to do? Or had she already done something?

But the mermaid simply giggled, and swam as fast as it seemed she could, away.

Hermione felt confused. She though maybe there was a delayed hex in the corral, and she should go back through to counter it, if there had been. Turning around, she saw that ring was gone. For a moment she panicked, but then went to take a closer look.

There, where the peculiar monument had formerly stood…was a small pink stub. It didn't look like someone had broken it, but as though it was in its earlier stage. But…that didn't make sense.

Hermione felt something about her change, and she looked down at her hands, which looked as though they were shrinking. Oh! She was turning back! The gillyweed's effects were wearing off!

The witch silently cursed herself. She had been following that one mermaid for two long, and hadn't gotten anything at all done.

Realizing she was going to be in trouble if she waited any longer, Hermione set off at a pace that she didn't think she could have managed, had she not been afraid of drowning. The seaweed groped at her like before, one of the long strips even managing to grab the hair tie from her hair.

She didn't bother to go back, though, as she felt her supply of oxygen becoming simply water to her again. The sun's light came into view quickly, and finally she was gasping for air, returning to the world where everything was much easier to comprehend…

She looked to her left and right.

…Or not.

FROMWHICHTHEMAGICSTOOD

Tom Riddle jerked his focus to the lake quickly, seeing something the size of a mermaid emerging onto the shore. After a moment of initial shock, he realized that it was a girl…a student, to be exact, and she had no tail.

The girl didn't seem to notice him, but instead flicked her hair back from her face without using her hands. She seemed to be confused, and didn't look like she could stand.

Tom searched her uniform and found that she had no Hogwarts crest on it. Could she be new…?

But she was here on the second day! And why the _hell_ had she come out of the lake?

ANDWHITETHESNOWWITHEVILGLOWWHENSATANKNEWHECOULD

I hope you liked this chapter! I kinda stopped short, but I have my excuses…as unconvincing as they may be. I might as well not voice them! And thank you SO much for the reviews! You are all so generous!

Not my best chapter, but soon (I think soon, maybe not) the romance will begin!


	3. Everything That's Never Happened

I do not own the Harry Potter books and/or movies, or anything associated with them.

Thank you all so much for the reviews! You guys really are great! In case you're wondering what's taking me so long to update, my uncle died, and it's hard to get inspired into writing when there's so little other Tom/Hermione stories that update regularly! Without angst, preferably…but I will go on!

**Note: Hermione _is_ sixteen, but the other Hermione Granger that is currently attending Beauxbatons is seventeen.**

ISAWSOMESHADOWEDFIGURES

Had she seriously taken so long to come out of the water, that everyone had gone? It hardly seemed possible. There was simply no way that everyone would abandon her without checking if she was all right! And everything looked so different…the landscape had changed drastically, and she couldn't recognize much about her surroundings.

Something very large was missing…

Hermione attempted to stand, but found her legs unable to hold her weight. Maybe she _had_ been in too long…she was so adjusted to swimming.

But that was only a small problem that she would consider later. Something was missing, and she needed to figure out what it was to know the complete problem.

The witch sat there for several moments, pondering over the Hogwarts grounds, recounting every moment she had spent there, reliving every time she, Ron, and Harry had gone down to Hagrid's hut –

Bloody hell!

The feeling seemed to return to Hermione's legs, and she ran to where her third home should have been. But she found herself standing on an empty space…no hut, no pumpkin patch…no Hagrid. This could only mean one thing…

He had been sacked!

But no sense came out of this. There was no possible way that Dumbledore would fire his only gamekeeper. They had nothing against each other, and Hagrid hadn't done anything illegal as of late. Nothing could have happened in the span of one hour to completely wipe out a large wooden building and not leave any trace.

Or had the mermaid done some secret enchantment that could wipe out entire buildings in five minutes?

But then there would be students crowded everywhere! If that had actually happened so quickly, Dumbledore wouldn't have had enough time to order the students back into the castle.

But this whole ordeal had to have something to do with the mermaids…it was the only explanation! Maybe the mermaid had done some sort of time charm, and she had been thrown a few hours ahead…yes, that was the only thing that explained it…

She needed to find a student! Any student! A student that could tell her the time…

Turning around, Hermione found herself face to face with a boy. She led out a surprised gasp, but muffled it quickly, a spark of annoyance rising within her. But she needed to know the time…she needed to know if everything was all right…

"Um, excuse my eagerness," she said politely, hoping that, if she didn't get him angry, he would cooperate, "but could you tell me where Hagrid has gone? His hut seems to have vanished, as you can see."

Hermione moved to the side and turned around, indicating to the barren fields in front of her.

"Rubeus Hagrid?" the voice startled her, low and dark, causing her to shiver slightly, "The only Hagrid I know is probably with the Gryffindors, maybe in the common room, and he doesn't own a hut."

With the Gryffindors…? No hut?

Hermione turned around and saw an emotionless face staring back at her. She studied the boy, searching for some sign that he was mocking her…but his crimson eyes and pale face betrayed nothing.

"Could you please tell me the time?" she asked cautiously.

"Nine o'clock."

That didn't sound right. Maybe the mermaids had enough powers to send people days forward…they _were_ mysterious creatures…

"The day?"

"September the second."

Hermione found herself becoming completely confused, and that didn't happen very often (she couldn't deny it). There had to be some reason. There was simply no possible way that mermaids could send people ahead by a year.

"The year?" she asked, hoping that there would be no change.

The boy looked her over with a seemingly lack of expression.

"Nineteen forty-three."

Hermione felt a fleeting moment of panic, but it was quickly replaced by realization, then anger, and she accidentally burst out.

"I haven't done anything to you! Why are you mocking me? Honestly, everyone has been acting so oddly since yesterday! What is wrong with you people? Even if you're in Slytherin," she jabbed her finger at his badge, "it doesn't give you right to pester me so! Just because I've become involved with the plan to take Lord Voldemort down, doesn't mean that –"

"What did you say?" the boy snapped so suddenly that Hermione nearly jumped, but she felt her anger boil over when his words processed.

"_What?"_ she took a step forward, "_Voldemort_! There! I said it! Can't you all just stop whimpering and say his bloody name!"

But the boy didn't seem to hear her words. Hermione turned to storm off but a hand stopped her.

"Voldemort?" the Slytherin hissed, somewhat confusedly, "How do you know that name?"

Something in his voice made Hermione go cold, and the anger she had felt earlier quickly ebbed away. She turned to look into his eyes, which she found strangely frightening all of a sudden.

"Everyone knows his name." She heard herself whisper, "but could you tell me yours?"

The boy seemed to take care in her question, answering cautiously as though he had a very guilty conscience.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."

THEYGATHEREDROUNDATREE

Hermione didn't know what she was doing. She felt very strange; like she was standing beside herself, watching things unfold.

"Well, thank you, Tom, for telling me the time."

She walked away stonily, wondering if, by some small chance, the entire school was playing a very cruel joke on her. She was a prefect, for Merlin's sake! How could they do this to her? And how could she not recognize a student's face?

Hermione barely remembered walking into the school, and did not remember skipping the trick step on the way to the Gryffindor common room. The only thing she could completely recall was picking up a stray newspaper just outside of the portrait hole and seeing it dated to 1943.

Her thoughts and movements had reeled on so quickly after that that she wouldn't have been able to admit anything of her walk to the Transfiguration room, even with the help of Veritaserum.

Hermione raised her hand and knocked once on the door. She immediately regretted it, though, as she realized a class would be in session. To her utter dismay, Dumbledore answered the door.

All of her thoughts and fears were confirmed by the length and colour of his beard. But he had dyed and cut it, right? He had used a charm on his wrinkles, _right_? It was obvious…yes…he liked jokes too!

"Hermione Granger!" he greeted warmly, "I see you've arrived a bit late. No need to worry, though, I assure you! Headmaster Dippet will understand why your arrival has been delayed. He knows it is a long journey from France with the Floo Network out, and you've received such _short_ notice!" – he paused momentarily, but continued on when Hermione remained silent, "I'm in the middle of a class right now, but I will have someone else take over for a moment! I just _knew_ that you hadn't enrolled in Beauxbatons! Someone must have tampered with your owl. Please wait here a moment."

This was a very _very_ cruel prank.

Dumbledore opened the door to the classroom rather widely as he stepped in, and the witch saw thirty unknown faces staring back at her. She turned to look at the surrounding hall, and suddenly noticed how oddly new everything looked. In fact…nothing really looked the same. The hallway was so very oddly decorated, she was surprised she found her way to the Transfiguration room at all.

Hermione heard the door behind her shut, and she turned to see Dumbledore smiling brightly at her.

"Shall we go, then?" he asked.

Hermione nodded mutely, the usual twinkle in his eyes oddly different, somehow.

And suddenly everything felt so heavy, and part of her mind filled with irrational thoughts. Everything was so convincing…

How was she to get back? There was absolutely no way that the mermaid could have pushed her back in time with no way of getting back. Only one curse had ever been known as irreversible: the killing curse.

And that led her thoughts back to Voldemort (her stomach lurched painfully). Had he had some role in this? Was this entire thing his fault? But she couldn't seem to link the name to the scenario. There was absolutely nothing that he could want from sending her back in time. What more could he gain from tricking a mermaid into leading a small, unknown girl into the past which he, himself dwelled?

And the answer was quite obvious: nothing.

"Ah." Dumbledore said quite suddenly, and she found that her feet had stopped moving, "It seems that the Headmaster is currently away. But I'm sure he won't mind if we borrow the Sorting Hat. Oh, speaking of which. Have you taken my advice and read _Hogwarts: A History_?"

The Dumbledore she knew would never have asked such a stupid question. He _knew_ her.

"Yes, but," her throat constricted a little, "I don't understand."

The future Headmaster turned to face her, a smile still plastered on his face.

"And what do you not understand, if I may ask?"

For a moment, she nearly burst out everything, but she thought that that would be a rather stupid thing to do if this was all indeed a prank, and it would ruin everything if she really was in the year of 1943.

"I was just wondering – er – if my friend, Harry Potter, was here?" she said lamely, trying to feign a look of mixed shrewdness and innocence.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment, before saying, "That name seems unfamiliar to me, but the Headmaster may be able to assist you further."

Hermione doubted this very much, but she felt very eager to meet the man, anyway. If he was here, in this very castle, then she was back in 1943. Chances were, he would be dead her future. And she had seen pictures…she'd read biographies…Hermione would know if this man really _was_ Armando Dippet.

Dumbledore inclined his head towards one of the chairs in the room, and the witch finally noticed that she was in the Headmaster's office. She looked around confusedly, wondering where all of the silver trinkets and gadgets had gone. Of course, those must have been Dumbledore's?

Hermione sat down reluctantly on the chair, and wondered briefly what she should do. The Hat had previously struggled between setting her in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. If she had honestly been sent back forty-nine years, which of these houses would she truly want to be in?

Gryffindor, her mind automatically answered her, and she couldn't help but agree. If she were going to be away from Harry and Ron for a little while, she'd still want to be around people that are at least _friendly_.

Dumbledore sat the Hat on her head, and she couldn't help but reminisce into her first year, when the Gryffindors hadn't seemed all that friendly. In fact, she hadn't liked any of them until Harry and Ron had saved her from the troll that Professor Quirrel had purposely set loose.

_Ravenclaw, then, I see?_

And the Hat didn't seem to remember her at all, not even when she recalled the time when it had chosen her to be in Gryffindor.

'_No. I want Gryffindor! Put me with the Gryffindors.'_

The Hat hesitated momentarily, but seemed to be rather weak-minded that day, bursting out in a lazy, "Gryffindor!" and falling asleep on her head.

Dumbledore removed it and turned brightly to the door at the sound of it being opened.

"Dumbledore?" said a flustered voice, "What are you doing in my office."

"I'm very sorry for the intrusion," the man beside her nodded curtly, "but I didn't think you would be back for a while, and I thought it best to have the Head's room decorated appropriately before Miss Granger settled in."

Hermione looked up slowly and found herself face to face with a complete replica of the Headmaster Dippet from out of the books she had read. Horror-stricken, she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Dippet said distractedly, turning back to Dumbledore quickly when she shook her head, "I thought she was to attend to Beauxbatons."

"It seems, by some strange twist of fate, that my predictions have again been proved correct. Her owl seems to have been tampered with."

Dippet looked grudgingly at the man across from him, then retreated to behind his desk.

"Yes, yes…very well, then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." He said.

But Dumbledore wasn't done.

"And, if it is all right, may Miss Granger take the rest of the day off to settle into her room?"

Dippet sighed and grunted, "Yes, of course…now be off with you…"

Hermione was led out of the doorway and down the rotating steps by Dumbledore. When they had reached the bottom, an oddly familiar badge was handed to her. She gave the future Headmaster a confusing look.

"I don't understand…"

"Oh, yes!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "You must have forgotten during your long journey, but you have been appointed Head Girl!"

Hermione beamed back at him as convincingly as she could, saying, "Oh, no…I simply didn't know what the badge looked like! There were no pictures in _Hogwarts: A History._"

She realized what she had said only after she said it, and was thoroughly relieved that it had been true. Dumbledore gestured for them to begin walking, and she followed slowly, trying to memorize all of the corridors they were taking.

The walk was rather long, and the witch was convinced that she would never remember the route, unless she had a map with her. But, she'd have to learn, and she wasn't half bad at that. The two of them stopped before a large, stone shield in the wall with the emblem of a lion with a snake as a tail.

"Well, here we are." Dumbledore smiled, "The password is _Scottish Handcuffs_, but you and the other Head can change it. Your timetable is on your bedside table. And I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye and goodnight, Miss Granger."

Hermione turned to ask who the Head Boy was, but Dumbledore had already gone. She briefly muttered, "Scottish handcuffs," and walked through the hole in the wall that the shield had just sprung aside to reveal.

The first thing the witch noticed was that there were two sets of stairs in the room: one leading up, the other, down. The next thing she realized was that the only colours in the entire room were red silver, and the dark brown of wood where material had not covered. There was a fireplace to the left, where a rather comfortable looking sofa sat in front. To the very right of the room was a table, rectangular and large enough to seat eight people. There was a circular sort of fireplace off to the side of it, but it looked as though it were only for show. To the very far of the room, (in a corner beside the wall of the two bedrooms), was a little area that seemed to be separate from the rest. There was a little square table that could sit four, right in front of a huge window, which took up the entire wall, from ceiling to floor.

Her jaw dropped in awe, and then she realized something that hit her very hard:

This was all very much real.

For a moment, this came as a great shock, but soon an awkward feeling swept over her that she had felt very few times before: assurance. She would be back in a couple of days, and hardly anyone would have noticed a thing…or the school might be in an entire uproar trying to find her……but she would be back soon, and everything would be just fine.

But then another thought hit her…she didn't have any clothes. Panicking, she ran up the right set of stairs and into the room labelled _'Hermione Granger,'_ feeling very confused at the sight of her trunk beside the silver satin bed…_her_ trunk, not somebody else's. It had everything she had ever owned inside of it, except that…there was a silky cloak draped over everything.

She recognized it right away, but couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was. Someone she knew had one just like it…was it Ron…or Neville, maybe?

Feeling very stupid and tired, she headed downstairs into the common room, and lay on the sofa. For a moment, everything was fine, but then she jumped up in alarm and ran back up the stairs into her bedroom…

It was entirely green and silver.

She also noticed a little note next to her timetable on her bedside table.

_Reinforce school unity._

Groaning, Hermione glanced over at her timetable. It looked _very_ familiar…in fact; it was exactly like her old one, but with Divination also.

She buried her face in her hands and returned to the sofa downstairs, head whirling in confusion. She was so frustrated…nothing made sense…and there were way…_way_ too many coincidences for her liking.

This had to be a joke…it just had to…

But then the entrance hole slid open, then closed, and Hermione felt a dreadful wave of realization wash over her. She turned to see him, the boy…his one eye covered partially in black-blue hair. He looked to the side slightly and she saw an earring in his ear; saw his crimson eyes scanning the room over…and she knew, just from that expressionless look on that face, that something very _very_ bad was going to happen.

And with a blaze of white hot anger, she watched as those half-lidded eyes in front of her met her own.

_I have a few days…and in those few days, I will teach this man what pain really is._

WHEREIWILLONEDAYBE

Thank you all again for the reviews! Oh, and Tom's hair shines blue, that's what I meant!


	4. Watching You

I do not own the Harry Potter books and/or movies, or anything to do with them except this story, and others I have written and will write in the future (this applies for all chapters).

Ok, let me explain this in a clearer way…there are two Hermione Grangers! There is one in the past that was going to go to Hogwarts, but got accepted into Beauxbatons, and decided to go there instead! She sent a note to Dumbledore saying that this was what she was going to do, and then Hermione (from the future) showed up, and Dumbledore thought that the owl had simply been tampered with!

Tom's eyes are red because this is my story, and in my story…well, you may or may not find out why this is so…you'll just have to see.

Thank you all for the reviews! I will try to make the chapters long, but I rarely get inspired…and, well, having more Tom/Hermione, or Tom/OC stories would be nice…

And for some weird reason, I feel like writing more of this story after reading a good Baten Kaitos romance, or an OC/OC Jade Empire. Just a suggestion…if you've played the games…

Anyways! Here we go!

(I listened to Baten Kaitos – Chaotic Dance while writing this. It might fit in at some parts. I don't know. I haven't written it yet.)

SOMETIMESITSBETTERTOFIGHTTHANTORUNANDTELLSOMEONE

For once in Hermione's entire life at Hogwarts, she was planning to break the rules for her own personal satisfaction, and not think anything of how anyone else feels. She had never done this before, perhaps not even have ever taken it seriously, but she wouldn't think about that. Here, in this time, she was not the same Hermione as she was before, but a different, unknown one. Here, she was a new student. It didn't matter what the other children thought of her, because she would soon be gone back into the future – well, an improved version of it, anyway.

Dawn had not come early enough from the perspective of the young witch. She had sat up for hours, pondering over her worst experiences in life, trying to think of how she had felt when they had happened, and trying to ignore it, too.

The only time she had been so sad as to cry, had been the time in her first year, when she had been teased, shunned, and had had absolutely no friends. That situation had seemed the worst to her, but it didn't feel like much now, and she couldn't imagine her current target in tears over something as petty as that.

She had thought of nearly every possible pain in the universe, and again and again the only solution that had come back to her was one: death. Tom Riddle would surely crumble in the face of his worst fear. She had been reassured by a very good source: her best friend, Tom's rival, Harry Potter.

Of course, she hadn't been in contact with him – there was just no possible way for that – but she had been told nearly everything Harry had seen in the pensieve described in great detail, and she had been trusted with the knowledge of every one of his meetings with Dumbledore. Hours she had spent up at night with him and Ron, trying to figure out a way to defeat him once and for all. And during daylight hours, details of Voldemort's possible death never fled from her mind. She knew the murderer from the pensieve like the back of her hand, and his only weakness.

But…right…

Harry _was_, of course, the boy who had to kill Lord Voldemort, but he never seemed like the best choice. He was brave, powerful, and determine, yes, but he didn't seem to have the commitment. The Dark Lord had killed his parents…it was his fault Harry's godfather was dead, and he was also the source of all of his sleepless nights, but Harry didn't hate him as much as a boy in that position _should_ have. He was much too forgiving…

Hermione took yet another nervous glance at her bedroom door. She wasn't used to having an entire room to herself, and having Tom Riddle's room right under hers was a bit unnerving. There was no guard for the door; no password that had to be repeated. It was just like any muggle entryway: unprotected, breakable, and highly flammable.

But she was forgetting herself…

How was she to get revenge on Voldemort again? Suddenly, though, an idea popped into Hermione's head. She nearly smacked herself in the forehead. How could she have never thought of it?

She would not only get revenge on the bastard, but she would erase everything he had ever done! It was _perfect_…_brilliant_, even!

But, again, how was she going to do it?

To kill him seemed the best way, but, even if she was willing to spend her life in Azkaban for the sake of millions of lives, she couldn't exactly just walk up to him and use the killing curse. He was much too smart for that, from what she knew. And, besides, she didn't know what would happen after death. For all she knew, she could be _saving_ him; sending him to a heavenly _paradise_, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She would have to…maybe…find _another_ weakness of his…see if he was somehow different…and…she…would…

BECAUSEBYTHETIMEYOUGETBACKTHEIDIOTCOULDBEGONE

Hermione's magic alarm beeped loudly, causing the young witch to spring up from her bed, and hit her head on the bedpost. She fell back onto the cushions, biting her lip hard as to not cry out in pain. Rubbing the injured area lightly, she trotted off to the bathroom to get ready.

After a shower, and some of her other daily routines, she set off to her first class at high speed.

WHENHECOULDHAVEBEENBEATENINTOTHECONCRETE

To Hermione's delight and dismay, she had nearly all of her classes with Tom. Apparently (from all of the rumours she had overheard) Dumbledore had convinced Headmaster Dippet to back up school unity, who had put the Gryffindors and Slytherins (the rival houses) together in pretty much every class. Since it was only the second day of term, all off the students were still very angry about it, and that was the main topic of the day.

Hermione didn't mind all that much, though, as she had lots of chances to sneak a look to see what Tom was doing, and how he reacted to things. She didn't get very much out of her first day…in fact, after her first ten glances over, she had thought that she had the wrong guy.

All through classes, he sat and stared off into space. The boy she had seen in the pensieve had done the exact opposite. He had talked, and corrected the teachers, smiling broadly as everyone adored him.

Finally, about a third through the day, she had gotten fed up with all of the confusion, and asked a girl who everyone in that particular class was, and 'what they were like.' The girl had smiled happily, introduced herself as Ann Ruboshi, and went through every single student in every single seat (even the empty ones. A few kids were in the hospital wing).

Her exact words of Tom were, "He's the smartest boy I've ever met, really…gets his house like _fifty_ points a day. I don't know him personally, but he seems really quiet. I've only ever seen him put up his hand once, and I don't see him talking to lots of people." – she had leaned in closer then, and her voice changed to a whisper – "Every girl in Hogwarts seems to talk about him a lot, I've noticed. Even a few of the guys seem interested. I've seen _Professor Mangora_ eyeing him."

Hermione had had that professor earlier that day in Herbology, and she had broken out into a fit of muffled giggles after she had heard that.

To say the least, the witch had had a fairly good day. She rather liked Ann, and they had decided to both try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione had never been very good at the sport, but the past summer Harry had taken out some time to teach it to her, and he was a very good coach. Unfortunately, though, he had only ever taught her how to be a Seeker, so that was her only choice.

After she had told Ann this, the girl had told her that the Slytherin Seeker was Tom Riddle, and that he was _very_ good.

"I hope you're the Seeker we've been waiting for," she had said, "No one's beaten Slytherin since Tom arrived."

Hermione rolled over and smiled at the thought of her newly found friend. Her hair was an even brighter shade of red than Ginny's (she hadn't believed that was possible), making her very easy to spot in the crowds if she ever wanted to talk to her. Apparently, Ann didn't really have any friends, and she loved reading just as much as Hermione did. She was a bit clumsy, though, resulting in a bit lower grades than hers.

But, all in all, the entire plan of the day hadn't worked out very well, and what was worse was that she had to go on duty with Tom in about…Hermione glanced up at the clock and realized that she had to meet him at the top of the Astronomy Tower in five minutes! It was on the other side of the bloody castle! And she was on the first floor!

Sprinting out of the room and into the dimly lit corridors, she raced her way towards the tower.

BUTEVENIFYOUDIDDOTHATYOUWOULDHAVETOHELPHIMUP

It was about fifteen minutes after the meeting time and Tom still hadn't shown up. Hermione shifted from foot to foot impatiently (even though she had just herself arrived), and hoped that he hadn't started without her. She really needed to study him more.

Then it hit her.

She was Head Girl…Hermione was the bloody _Head Girl_! Though it hadn't been her intelligence that had won the position, it was still _hers_, and she couldn't help but feel a warming sensation of happiness swell up inside of her.

But she really did feel stupid, and soon her anxiety had returned as she thought of her condition. She really didn't have time to think of what she had gained; she was too busy trying to gain more.

Something caught Hermione's eye, and she turned around just in time to see Tom Riddle striding up the Astronomy Tower, looking as bored as ever. Her stomach lurched, and she felt a dizzy feeling of anxiousness wash over her. All of a sudden, she just wanted to be back in her room doing absolutely nothing. It felt like she had spun around on a chair for five minutes.

"Let's get started, then." She said when Tom had stopped several feet from her.

They made laps around the school, keeping quiet except for a few of Hermione's desperate questions. He seemed to actually enjoy Quidditch, from what he said, and she found herself thinking he was an entire different person at moments. She couldn't imagine him chanting dark incantations…it suited his appearance, but he just seemed a lot like Harry in a solemn mood.

"Well, we're done." Hermione finally said, slightly more cheerful than she had been feeling earlier, "Let's go back and get some res-"

Tom's piercing red eyes landed on hers, and her breath caught in her throat. She stumbled slightly, and nearly fell, but she grabbed the wall just in time. She didn't know what had happened, and felt extremely embarrassed to be seen doing something so stupid.

Luckily, though, Tom didn't seem to care much about her little display, and instead focused his view to one of the statues in the hallway.

"Out." He said, and Hermione was wondering what he was talking about.

But then a boy that looked to be around twelve stepped out from behind the gargoyle, wearing a very guilty expression, looking worriedly at Tom. Hermione's embarrassment subsided and she stared down at the child.

"What are you doing out of your common room so late?"

The boy seemed to just notice Hermione, and his face contorted into an ugly sneer, "What does it matter to _you_? You're out of your room, too."

The Slytherin badge glinted brightly from his chest.

"_Twenty_ points from Slytherin," the Head Girl said, taking out a small roll of parchment and scribbling on it quickly, "and the Head Boy is going to make sure you get to Professor Slughorn's office to give him this note."

But Tom shook his head, saying, "There is no need for me to go with him. I'm _sure_ he will go."

The boy looked up at the older Slytherin, his sneer fading and a look of shame and anxiousness grabbing hold of him. He nodded quickly, and scurried off down the hall.

"How do you know he will go?" Hermione asked, glaring at Tom. Had he used some form of dark magic? Had he set the boy under the imperious curse, or did they know each other?

Voldemort simply shrugged, and walked away.

BECAUSETHENHEWOULDBEINYOURDEBT

Very short, and it doesn't have much in it, but it's one of those chapters you have to write anyway.


End file.
